Written by Imari Scarbrough
If you have spare time and a cup of coffee, Montreat is the place to be during a thunderstorm. Sitting on the library lawn (or on Anderson porch—a campus favorite), students can watch the storms as they come along the mountain ridge and unleash their fury. Watching a thunderstorm in the mountains from within a little “bowl” of a valley is an unforgettable experience. Similarly, sledding down the hills on campus in the winter is fun, as is going on photo shoots and walks in the spring or having picnics and class outside in the summer. Whatever the season, Montreat is the place to experience it, especially with cool seasonal activities (many off campus) like caving, skiing, hiking and more.
That being said, Montreat’s weather is not perfect—if you’re used to several feet of snow and can’t imagine life without it, North Carolina is probably not the place to go to school. However, Montreat does get several inches of snow in the winter, prompting sledding, impromptu snowball fights, and epically-giant (and snazzily-dressed) snowmen. The College prepares for the weather, setting aside a series of snow days, and sending out email and text warnings about infrequent stray tornados in the summer. Overall, Montreat’s weather is utopic. It rains fairly often during certain weeks but makes up for it with long stretches of sunshine. Although it can be a bit bipolar at times, students can easily prepare for the weather by packing an umbrella and rain boots for spring showers and SPF 45 for soaking up summer rays on the library lawn or by Lake Susan.